Re: Brilliant new Spectrum game released - Ultimate Manic Miner

Hi

The general consensus in the MM/JSW community is that Igor Makovsky's
Ultimate Manic Miner is indeed brilliant. Admittedly I myself have only
had a quick, casual go so far, but it was enough to see that the game
deserves full marks for novelty, amazing graphics, and a unique
atmosphere.

I've had a quick play now (cheers for the link, Dunny) and I have to say
I find some of the criticisms here rather harsh. I'm surprised that
people here, of all places, are so intolerant of attribute clash...

I tend to ignore most attribute clash out there, but there are really
poor design choices out there, such as making the stairs out of red
paper and black ink in Living Quarters, so an invisible lower part of
Willy erases them while the rest of his visible part is moving. Also,
collitions with background objects/people are very badly solved. I'm
fine without masks, but come on, do at least an OR and don't erase
the guy you're passing on just because one of your bits has entered
his character. That happens an awful lot.

[...] I'm currently stuck on Attack
Of The Mutant Telephones, which I guess is the first real puzzle of the
game. I've killed myself several times jumping at random bits of screen
thinking "well, maybe that's a cunningly disguised portal, or at least
platform I can land on". The only possible exit seems to be on the
bottom left of the screen, boxed in behind a blue platform. I know just
enough about MM/JSW to suspect that this might be...

I also got stuck there the first time I played. Since there's another path if
you go to work instead of getting drunk, I'm considering it's just a mortal
trap...

METALBRAIN
(C) 1977 Tejedor & Gómez Research Ltd.
.